DESCRIPTION: (from applicant's Abstract) Chronic illness affects all aspects of a person's life, including perceptions of stress, social support, and quality of life and, as a result, exacts emotional strain, alterations in physical functioning, and disruption of family/social roles. It is not a question of curing the disease, but that of maintaining the highest quality of life by reducing the impact of chronic illness. Health maintenance is an important part of the quality of life equation for people with chronic illness and includes health promotion activities which educate, guide, and motivate the individual to take personal actions which improve the likelihood of sustained good health, broader disease management approach for chronic illness, essential if long-term outcomes are to be improved, includes prevention, optimal self-management, and optimal professional care. For people with chronic illness who live in rural areas, illness management and health maintenance are an even greater challenge because they often must struggle in isolation to meet the challenges of dealing with chronic illness. The MSU College of Nursing is proposing a Center for Research on Chronic Health Condition in Rural Dwellers to help address issues associated with the management of chronic illness within in the rural context. The goals of the Center are to: a) facilitate nursing and interdisciplinary research related to management of chronic health conditions by rural dwellers with a focus on promoting healthy behaviors, avoiding complications, encouraging self-management, and supporting the family, b) enhance the pre-requisite research skills to conduct research regarding the management of chronic health conditions in a rural environment, c) enhance the research infrastructure, and d) disseminate scientific information related to rural dweller?s management of chronic health conditions to a variety of audiences, including undergraduate and graduate students, nurse clinicians, and other health care providers, policy makers, the public, and the media. Research capacity building for the nursing faculty and the development of a strong infrastructure to support that research is seen as the overriding objective of this grant proposal. Ultimately, it is envisioned that collaboration with interdisciplinary colleagues and with nurse scholars across the region will occur in order to better address the needs of rural populations who are living with chronic health problems.